If you like many others living in larger towns and cities, live in a limited space like a loft apartment and you desperately want to find a way of getting back some space you may want to consider getting yourself a set of Murphy bed plans. With good plans you can build yourself or hire someone to build for you, a great Murphy bed that will give you a place to sleep and then fold away into the wall and give you a space to do whatever you want, study, have friends over, craft!

Four Tips for using Murphy Bed Plans

However not all Murphy bed plans are equal and there are a lot out there. Here are four tips on using Murphy bed plans so that get something that meets your needs and works.

1) Avoid accepting the first ones you see!

Murphy bed plans can vary a lot not just in the kind of bed you end with, but in themselves how they are presented, detail, help offered, diagrams included and so on. Try to get a variety of plans to compare which are the more detailed and which come in a format you find easiest to follow and understand. Some have lists of materials and tools you need for example and some may not.

2) Look at how the cabinet and bed attach

The bed attaches to the cabinet so when looking at the plans look carefully at how this happens because once the cabinet has been installed under the bed it has to be able to take the weight of you as well as the bed itself. If that cabinet and bed are not attached well and it looks and feels flimsy when you sit down on that bed for the first time it is likely to break. Check out the IKEA murphy bed guide to building a murphy bed with IKEA cabinets.

3) Avoid free Murphy bed plans

It is very tempting to see all those free plans out there, particularly on the internet, and opt for those to save yourself some money. But unfortunately those free plans often do not work, or are incomplete. Many are even ones thrown together but have never actually been built. Invest the money in a couple of plans that have been properly designed and that the designer has constructed from successfully. Opt for plans from known professionals like a craftsman or look for manufacturers who sell plans as well as beds. This way you know those plans do lead to a well constructed bed that will last and is safe to use. This saves you money in the long term.

4) Use the materials in the Murphy bed plans

Another way some people try to save money is when they have the plans they want they try to get cheaper versions of the materials suggested. This is just another way to end up with a poorly made bed that lacks any durability and may even be unsafe. Good quality materials that cost a little more mean you get a bed of good quality that lasts far longer. Cheap materials will build a bed that in a few months will buckle under the pressure and cost you money to replace.